Donald Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, has suggested how their administration might seek to end Russia's war in Ukraine, should they win the White House.
Vance said potential peace talks with Trump could involve a "heavily fortified" demilitarized zone at the countries' borders.
"I think what this looks like is Trump sits down, he says to the Russians, the Ukrainians, the Europeans: You guys need to figure out. What does a peaceful settlement look like? And what it probably looks like is the current line of demarcation between Russia and Ukraine, that becomes like a demilitarized zone," he told the Shawn Ryan Show podcast in an episode released Wednesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's Russia has taken military control of about 20 percent of Ukraine since 2014 when it annexed Crimea.
Newsweek has contacted Teams Trump and Harris, as well as the governments of Russia and Ukraine, for comment by email.
The Context
The prospect of peace talks has been raised several times, without success, since the Russian leader launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, has claimed on multiple occasions that he would have ended the war in Ukraine "in 24 hours" if he won the 2020 presidential election. He has also said repeatedly that if reelected, he would swiftly bring an end to the war in Ukraine by speaking with Putin.
What We Know
Vance didn't specify exactly where he thinks the demilitarized zone should be, but said it would be "heavily fortified so the Russians don't invade again."
"Ukraine remains its independent sovereignty, Russia gets the guarantee of neutrality from Ukraine—it doesn't join NATO, it doesn't join some of these allied institutions. That is what the deal is ultimately going to look something like," he said.
Vance said he believes Trump will be able to "come to a deal very quickly" because "they're scared of him in Russia, they're worried about him in Europe because they know he actually means what he says."
"The Russians, the Ukrainians, the Europeans are all saying, we can't fight this war forever. But why the hell are you fighting it for another day if all of them are trying to find a way to solve it? The answer is, you're not going to solve the war but you can at least bring the thing to a stop," he continued.
"The answer is, Joe Biden is asleep at the wheel, Kamala Harris doesn't know what the hell she's doing, and so, their policy is throw money at this problem, hope the Ukrainians are able to achieve a military victory that even the Ukrainians are saying 'we can't achieve,'" Vance added.
Reuters reported in May, citing four anonymous Russian sources familiar with the matter, that Putin was ready to "freeze" the war in Ukraine on current front lines.
"Putin can fight for as long as it takes, but Putin is also ready for a ceasefire—to freeze the war," a senior Russian source who has worked with Putin told the publication. Newsweek couldn't independently corroborate the report.
The Kremlin has previously specified a few conditions that are non-negotiable for Russia, including that Ukraine must accept the September 2022 annexation of four of its regions—Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia—following referendums called by Putin that were deemed illegal by the international community.
Ukraine has said that any peace deal must invalidate the September 2022 annexations of its territory, and that Crimea must once again be considered part of Ukraine.
What's Next?
The U.S. presidential election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 5. Russia and Ukraine are watching the U.S. elections closely.
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